Lech Lecha 5780-2019

“Understanding the Ritual of Circumcision” (updated and revised from Lech Lecha 5760-1999) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   Toward the end of this week’s parasha, parashat Lech Lecha,…

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Chukat-Balak 5780-2020

“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose--History Repeats Itself!” (Updated and revised from Parashiot Chukat-Balak 5760-2000) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   This week’s Torah…

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Do “Clothes Make the Man?”

The phrase “Clothes make the man” was adapted by Mark Twain from Shakespeare’s “For the apparel oft proclaims the man,” a comment made by Polonius in Hamlet. “Dress for Success” was a…

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Predicting the New Emperor before Exit Polls

On December 21 in the year 69 CE, the Roman Senate declared that Vespasian be elevated to serve as the Emperor of Rome. A famous Talmudical story (Gittin 56b) described how a rabbi…

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Mezuzah: Complete Fulfillment

A mezuzah on the doorpost is a public sign of a Jewish home. If you open the decorative container of the mezuzah you will find a piece of parchment with two sets of Hebrew verses from…

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The Real Thing

With a bit of creativity, one can easily think of reasons why a person might assume a new identity. Sometimes it is a need for safety, such as those who enter the Witness Protection…

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Treating Holy Papers

One modern philosophy that might have caught your attention is conscientious living. This concept centers on increasing one’s awareness. In many ways, living according to Jewish law…

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Donkey

Why is a donkey called a donkey? For Jewish Treats, a more interesting question is why is a donkey called a chamor?  According to the Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 17:4), God…

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Heralded With Blessings

The opening prayer of Pesukei D’zimra is Baruch She’amar - Blessed is He who Said. It is a prose poem that uses an anaphora, a literary style in which the same word is repeated at the…

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A Pair of Psalms

“You will eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 8:10). There are few pleasures shared by cultures around the world as the pleasure of eating. Because it is human…

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